Patent FR2747185 reports on an attack system implementing a submunition equipped with a detector and a ground-based target designator.
This submunition spots the ground along a spiral curve during its descent path. When the submunition detects a laser pulse transmitted by the designator, initiation of the warhead is automatically triggered.
This device indicates a major disadvantage in that the performance of the designator is limited to the implementation of an ammunition or submunition with negligible sweep speed of detection (in the range of 50 meters per second).
To make this type of designator compatible with higher performance ammunitions or submunitions, therefore with higher sweep speeds, the transmission frequency of the laser pulse as well as its power should be increased in such proportions that operational use would hardly be possible.
Moreover, the ground-based designator described in patent FR2747185 is an active designator. It can therefore be easily spotted by the designated target.